Aikatsu Magical Stage
by Aikatsu Magical Stage
Summary: Magic is slowly being depleting from the lack of belief humans have in fantasy beings- the realm of Magia is slowly starting to fade. There's only one way to save them, get on that stage and sing to gain back their joy and belief! "Let our magic take you to a new world! Aikatsu Magical Stage, is now starting!"


"Let our magic take you to a new world! Aikatsu Magical Stage, is now starting!"

A school full of wonders

Starlight Magic Academy! 

"…_Do you know the story of Alice in Wonderland? A human girl wandering into a realm of magic and bewilderment… bringing the denizens of that world out of their thousand-year war with her charm and smarts. Alice's return to her world left the denizens yearning for a being like her, and thus the opening of the Earth Gate came to be… but that wistful wish was only met with exile and the denizens' existence being known as myths, fantasies for the humans…"_

The sun shone down the land, the light reflecting off stain glass windows of homes- a city in the center of a continent, nestled underneath a mountain. The roar of the morning dragon reverberated all around the great city, marking the beginning of a new day for Cristalo. The telltale sound of a train echoed throughout the land, chugging through the skies and bursting through clouds. Pink puffs of smoke flowed out from it, leaving a trail of it behind that slowly dissipated into the air.

Following no track, it curved and bended- going every which way it wanted but never jostling the passengers inside. The Sky Train, the single most popular and convenient way of traversing between land and sky. A Pegasus swooped by it, peering in through the windows before whinnying and galloping off to join the rest of its herd up ahead. Soon, the train was flying straight for the station, rooted to the ground. Slowly losing momentum. it came to a stop and the passengers were let out as a voice boomed out in the speakers. "Welcome to the capital city of the Lookingglass Province, the great city of Cristalo. Be sure to have all your belongings with you when you exit the train."

A girl stepped out with a click of her Mary Janes, pulling a suitcase behind her and a messenger bag across her shoulder. A moth-like bug followed behind her, the pages within its book wings fluttering with each flap. Tipping a bright pink hat that was reminiscent of a witch's hat toward the bright sunlight, effectively shadowing her face. The girl giggled to herself.

"We're finally going to see each other again... Ryn." 

From across the city, surrounded by a forest and closest to the mountain range was a school. A private institution, or a boarding school if you will, for those who are naturally talented in magic. Starlight Magic Academy. This is where a boy was getting ready for the day ahead of him, the first day was always the day to make good first impressions. In the dim light of his dorm room, the boy went through his morning routine with a quick step. Fixing a stray lock of blue hair, his eyes glowed a dim yellow. The boy picked up his satchel and looked over to the being sleeping soundly on his bed.

It was completely black with the form of a lithe cat- aside from the red cross on its forehead and the diminutive bat wings on its back.

"Nyaoath, it's time to head out."

His call was answered by the twitching of ears and a lazy yawn from the odd cat. It stretched before shaking the sleepiness off, hopping off the bed and into the awaiting darkness of the boy's bag. Where it presumably went back to sleep. Making sure he had everything he would need for the day; the boy locked the door behind and went out the dormitory.

Walking through the campus, there was other students walking to their homeroom class as well. He stayed wherever there was shade, pulling out a book from his bag to read so he can ignore those around him and give the implicit message he didn't wanted to be bothered. He already knew where to go, legs moving to where he needed to be as he absorbed the information in the book with silent glee. 

Entering a school building, he climbed the steps, passing by more students who glanced his way, and some doing a double take. The boy kept ignoring them all, opening the door to his designated homeroom and going inside.

As soon as he entered, he first noticed a crowd of students near the front along with what looked to be the professor. The whispers and questions of the students were loud enough for him to hear.

"Who is she?"

"Is she supposed to be in this school?"

"She acts so strange…"

The boy cocked an eyebrow, "What's going on…?" The professor was speaking to the person that was hidden by the crowd, "I don't think he's here right now…" A voice, belonging to the person, responded- being much louder than the students' whispering. The voice was soft yet high in its pitch, obviously distressed.

"But Rynarakeg is supposed to be in this homeroom! I checked the charts too!" This brought on confusion in the boy, Rynarakeg, now actively trying to discern what was happening in the front. The professor was looking around the classroom when he noticed him, a relieved smile on his face as he beckoned the boy closer. "Ah, Mr. Dhokshr! There's someone here looking for you."

Rynarakeg nodded, closing his book and making his way to the front, the crowd parted ways for him to come face to face with the hidden person.

A girl, just a few inches shorter than him, stared back. With a pink witch hat barely containing blue fluffy hair, dark chocolate skin and a shining pink heart shaped jewel hanged around her slim neck. A book moth flapped beside her as well. She gasped, a large smile on her face. "RYN!"

That was when she launched herself onto him, effectively making them both land on the floor unceremoniously. The crowd was gob smacked, shocked beyond belief at what just happened. The boy groaned, having taken the brunt of the fall, his book now out of his hand. He peered down at the girl who was now giggling in glee and hugging his midsection tight. "I found you, I finally found you!"

Rynarakeg barely managed to growl out from her squeezing him "just, who are you? … And who are you calling Ryn?!" He pushed the girl off him which made her look at him with a strange look, cocking her head to the side. Brows furrowed, she regarded him with confusion, however, before she could voice her concerns- a hand gripped her wrist and hauled her up from the floor.

The professor adjusted his glasses and had a resigned frown, holding onto the girl. "It looks like you don't know her then… I'll escort you to the principal to have this sorted out." He proceeded to drag the girl away. She stumbled, pulling against his grip as she looked back to Rynarakeg with alarm. "Ryn!? Don't you remember me? It's me, Shauntel!"

The boy was rubbing a sore spot on his head when he heard the familiar name, looking back to the girl with widening eyes. "Shauntel?" The book moth picked up the hat that fell off her head, rushing to his mistress as she was hanging onto the door's edge. "Ryyyyn! It's me! How could you forget me, you meanie! EEP!" The teacher yanked her away with a retreating yelp from the girl.

Rynarakeg quickly got up and ran to the door, skidding to a halt when he saw her and the professor going down the stairs. "Professor!" His yell managed to garner their attention and he smiled awkwardly. "Ah… it would appear I _do _know her." 

After asking to speak to Shauntel privately, the teacher went back up the stairs to let the two speak at the foot of the steps while keeping an eye on them. Rynarakeg looked to him with a half-hearted smile before turning his gaze back to the girl, looking her up and down as the familiarity sank in. "You really are Shauntel…" She crossed her arms, trying to look like she was glaring, but it looked more like a pout. The girl was looking away from him, making it apparent that she was upset with him. The boy swallowed a lump in his throat "ah, so… how are thin—"

"How could you let them try to take me away? Didn't you remember me?!" Shauntel effectively interrupted him, looking up to the boy with big teary eyes. Rynarakeg took a step back, hands raised to appease his friend. "I-I'm sorry! I swear, I never forgot you! It's just that your HAIR IS A DIFFERENT COLOR NOW!" His voice raised in volume near the end, emphasizing how flustered he was in the situation.

Shauntel blinked at that, her saddened expression dulling as she replayed his words in her head. Her eyes widened in realization and a smile pulled at her cheeks as she regarded him with a more jovial attitude. "You've noticed! I dyed it a few years back when I wanted a change of pace! Cute isn't it?" Her small hands went up to her hair, fluffing it even more.

Rynarakeg let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, lowering his hands and relaxing his stature. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as a thought came to him- she was still the same girl he befriended during his childhood. "It's hard _not _to notice, but yes, it is cute." The comment made Shauntel giggled, pleased to hear that he had agreed.

"Besides that, what are you doing here? How did you even get through the school's gates?" It was his turn to cross his arms, looking down at the girl. She perked up, having fluffed her hair enough and retrieved her hat from the book moth hovering beside her. Placing the witch hat back on her head, she placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest "Isn't it obvious? I go to school here now!"

The boy blinked once before his eyes widened, giddiness coming over him. "Really? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Keeping a cool front, Rynarakeg thought to himself that the school year just got a bit sweeter. Study sessions, library visits, all of it but with a friend by his side. "We could've planned many things before school even started, even go school shopping together."

"I… did though?" Shauntel quirked a brow, her bravado deflating just a bit as confusion was written on her face. "I sent you a letter a few weeks ago telling you that I was coming to this school, _you_ never wrote back." She poked his chest with a finger to further emphasis her point. Rynarakeg looks to the finger then back to his friend, giving a raised brow. "No, you didn't." she immediately faltered.

"If you had, I would've sent you a letter at an understandable time frame." The girl's brows scrunched up, rescinding her finger. "But… I remember sending you a letter and everything…Mothwell!" responding to her call, the book moth fluttered in front of Shauntel, offering his book to her. As she began flipping through the pages mumbling to herself, something managed to slip out of the book moth's pages and land on the floor.

This caught Rynarakeg's eye and he knelt to pick it up, quickly discovering that it was the letter that she had meant to send to him. "Shauntel…" His voice caught her attention as he waved the letter in her face, a teasing lilt in his voice. "Now this couldn't possibly be the letter you most certainly sent to me." A shock look was on her face, so he gently tapped her forehead with it making her blink and blush brightly. Quickly taking it, she laughed nervously stuffing it in her pocket as she looked away in embarrassment. 

"I take it you two are familiar with one another." The two looked up to see the professor looking down to them from a few steps above them. From the top of the stairs a good amount of the students was trying, badly, to discreetly watch everything unfold. Rynarakeg internally rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the nosy students. "Yes, she is a friend of mine that just transferred to this school. She's from, up there." He pointed upward.

The professor understood the implication and nodded before looking to Shauntel. "I will assume then you are from Cirrus Town," which the girl nodded. "Then there may have been a misstep in processing your papers, I will report this to administration… for now…"

He looked between the two, seeing Shauntel had scooted closer to Rynarakeg and was holding the book moth close to her. He sighed. "Mr. Dhokshr, I'm sure you will keep your friend out of trouble during the school day." The boy stood up straight and nodded his understanding.

The professor waved his hand and a transparent, blue screen appeared before him, humming with magic. He typed out a message and sending it out before letting the screen disappear. "Now with that settled, we will not be attending the opening ceremony." The students behind him were already whispering to each other and giving questioning looks to the man.

"Instead, we will be going to the fields for a physical evaluation. Everyone head to the locker rooms to change, you'll find your gym clothes in your respective lockers and meet at the fields." With that final order, the students started to disperse.

"Um…" The professor looked to the girl that took a tentative step forward. Shauntel shuffled her feet, the book moth in her arms mewled encouragingly, helping the girl to keep steady eye contact with the professor. "What am I supposed to do?" He rose a brow, making the girl scramble to further explain herself.

"I-err-well, everyone is going to be doing… something, so what am I going to do?" The professor adjusted his glasses, withholding a sigh. "If what Mr. Dhokshr said was true, then you will also be joining him and the other students." Seemingly anticipating what she was going to say next, he snapped his fingers, causing the girl's body to glow along with her clothing, startling her greatly.

She shone brightly as her clothes outwardly morphed before the light dimmed and vanished, revealing that her clothes indeed changed. Her white sweater and cream overall dress were transformed into a pink and white track suit, Mary Janes traded for a pair of fresh white sneakers.

Shauntel looked down to her clothes, shocked, before waving her arms around in excitement. Letting the book moth go to fly on its own. "W-wow! What spell was that? How did you cast it without saying a word?" The man allowed a wry smile to slip on his lips. "That is something you learn the more you study magic. You'll be coming with me to the field. Mr. Dhokshr, the locker rooms." Rynarakeg nodded, sparing a smile to his friend before heading off with the rest of the class, leaving Shauntel under the care of the professor.

Watching his fleeting form, the girl relaxed a bit, whistling softly and tipping her hat back to reveal the top of her head. The book moth perked up to the command and dove into the crevice, making himself at home as he cooed. Shauntel giggled, reaching a hand up to scratch under its chin. The professor watched this before turning in the opposite direction that the students went and started walking. "Come along now…" causing the girl to jump with a start and begin jogging to catch up with him. 

Out on the field, the students were all lined up before the professor. The season of spring brought on a sweet scent in the air as the nature all around them were fresh and green. They stood on sanded ground that stretched out nearly 300 feet and was even wider. The ground was covered in aged markings and slashes, showing generations of use.

The professor looked to all his students once. "As you all may already know, I am your homeroom teacher, Mallein Vyen Aumbride. I am also teaching Transformative Magic classes here. To enter this school, you all were made to take a written proficiency test to see if your knowledge were at the required range to become a student here. However, I believe that's complete _crap_."

The professor's last statement shocked the students, Shauntel's brows creased in worry and confusion. She and Rynarakeg looked to each other, slowly turning their attention back to Professor Aumbride as he continued talking. "Those tests are easy to pass, as it's all brute force memorization. It's one thing to know something, it's another to put it in practice."

He lifted his arm, revealing a sparkling jewel shaped like a spade incased in a golden bracelet. "We will be going over the basics first, specialty manipulation." The jewel glowed and his arm began to shift, changing in bone structure. It became more flexible, bending and twisting in ways it shouldn't have before. It grew longer, hardened scales covering his skin as his hand and fingers morphed into a head and two yellow eyes glared at the students before letting out a loud hiss.

"This, is my specialty, transform. The ability to change any part of my body to anything, or…" He brought a hand close to his face, the image of it already beginning to shift. The bone structure softening, keeping few refined features. Hair becoming lighter and growing longer, skin becoming more akin to a porcelain doll.

Once he snapped his fingers, the transformation accelerated to its finished form- a womanly face with a kind smile. "Anyone. Now you all may attempt to manipulate your specialties to the best of your ability. Those of you with more volatile specialties, and you know who you are, practice with precaution."

The professor took one look at Rynarakeg, "except for you Mr. Dhokshr, you sit this one out." To which he only nodded in understanding. 

The students dispersed into small groups, loud chattering and awed shouts were heard as they immersed themselves in the task. Sparks of magic were flying, one firer-user getting harshly scolded for having no control over the lengthy column of fire they made that caused several trees to catch on fire. One girl managed to conduct a small current of electricity that acted as a static shock- letting it zap through different groups of students and somehow not getting caught in the act.

Shauntel and Rynarakeg were on their own, at the outer cusp of the students' groups. The girl was sitting on the grass, cross-legged, her face pinched together in concentration. The jewel around her neck began to glow a dim light, slowly floating up from its resting place. None it mattered however, as the jewel lost its glow and plopped back on her. Shauntel groaned in frustration, slouching in her position. "Gaaah! This is hard!"

On the other hand, Rynarakeg was standing beside her, watching her intently with his arms crossed. "It's only hard because you're forcing it. Your specialty is more about intuition." Two pink eyes looking up to him were the only indication he got that she was listening to him. "You know what you want to do, feel your way through it." This was only met with furrowed brows.

"Alright…" He thought for a moment and an idea came to him, and he crouched down. Grasping her shoulders and gently pushing Shauntel back and letting her lay back on the grass on her own. "Umm, Ryn?" she looked up to him quizzically. "Your specialty is Dreams, so you should be asleep or at the very least partially. So, sleep and feel your way to your magic." He sat in the grass right across from her.

Shauntel looked to him before shifting her eyes up to the cloudless sky, knowing her hometown was more to the south of the city but can't help wishing it was right above her head. Watching the cumulonimbus clouds that made up the small-town bounce and move with the density of the townspeople, and the weather mages weaving through the clouds. Eyelids grew heavy, gazing at the sky slowly shifting at a snail's pace. Breathing evened out until eyes slid shut, body relaxing into the green, earthy bed.

Rynarakeg resisted a smirk, waiting patiently for something- anything- to happen. A moment passed and he believed that she was merely having a bit of trouble. Several minutes came and passed and he grew a bit apprehensive. "Shauntel?" There was no response and the girl before him continued sleeping peacefully.

He took her shoulders and began to shake a bit, gently at first. "Shauntel… Shauntel, I didn't mean you _just _have to sleep." The girl only murmured sleepily, curling up into a small ball as she giggled in her sleep. Rynarakeg swore in exasperated disbelief, "I thought you kicked this habit!"

The professor heard this cry and turned his attention in their direction, seeing Shauntel fast asleep. He let out an irate sigh. The electrical current from one of the students finally reached the two, shocking Rynarakeg first and causing the boy to yelp from surprise, letting go of his friend just as the shock went through her- waking her up in the process. "Ack!"

Shauntel's head banged on the ground, groaning in pain from the rude awakening. "I trust you had a good sleep?" She turned to see Rynarakeg staring down at her with a look she knew all too well. The neutral face of displeasure. "Ah ha… So… the stuff I was dreaming wasn't real huh?" Her friend only shook his head with a resounding sigh. 

The next round of testing was flying. The students- creatures and mages- must show they could achieve some form of flight. Shauntel grip the broomstick that was handed out tightly, gazing up at the students soaring through the sky. She was excited to join them soon, bouncing on the tips of her toes, but anxiety clutched tight to her chest. It would be a first for her.

Scanning the sky, she managed to spot Rynarakeg furthest from the winged students- having sprouted large, leathery bat wings from his back before taking to the skies. He was busying himself with aerial loops, taking sharp turns when nearing dense clouds or plowing right through them. The boy began beating his heavy wings more, climbing to greater heights- until his silhouette stood against the sun.

Rynarakeg let out a sharp hiss, the bright sunlight in this proximity irritating his skin greatly. He tucked his wings and closed his eyes- before allowing gravity to have its way and letting himself plummet. The wind whipped viciously against him, his descent startling many around him but none moved to stop him. The ground, quickly growing closer but he dared not change his course.

Opening his eyes, Rynarakeg counted the seconds, waiting until the last possible moment to unfurl his wings and twist his body. Curving away from near death and zooming past still grounded students, flying back into the sky and spinning back with a pleased grin. His eyes caught a very excited Shauntel hopping from toe to toe. Heading for a shady tree, his wings flapped several times to slow the descent and let his boots touch the grass- being quickly met with his friend jogging up to him.

"Ryyyn! You didn't tell me you could do THAT! The wings are new! Watching you fly all over the place was so cool, though I got a bit worried when you got _that_ close to the sun, and my heart literally _dropped _when you started falling! Like, I knew you would be alright because, well, it's you, but that was still dangerous!" Shauntel managed to rush all she wanted to say out in a single breath once she got to her friend- taking in much needed air afterward.

He stifled a chuckle, leaning against the tree's trunk as he relaxed, enjoying the shade. "New to you, yes. I've been able to summon them for quite some time now. I wanted to surprise you." Rynarakeg stretched one wing out, letting her get a closer look of the sleek appendage. She drew a bit closer, examining the leathery wing with interest. "Well, you sure did surprise me!"

"You should get to flying… you sure you know how to fly a broom?" He looked to the broom then to Shauntel, sporting an inquisitive look. The girl laughed off his worries, despite being unsure of herself. "Oh, I'm sure I'll managed! It's kind of like riding on a cloud, if I think about it long enough." This didn't appease Rynarakeg's worries. 

Hopping onto the broom, Shauntel jumped up in the air, wobbly floating just a few feet off the ground. She smiled, pleasantly surprising herself. Tucking her feet underneath her, she turned to her friend. "See, it's not hard at alllLLLLLLL HOLY NIMBUS!" With a mind of its own, the broom took off without warning. Shooting up into the sky and taking Shauntel along with it- hat and sleeping book moth lying forgotten on the ground. "Shauntel!" Rynarakeg watched her ascend before launching himself back into the air, waking up Mothwell in the process.

Her screaming garnered the attention of everyone within the vicinity, being enough of a warning for several students to swerve out of the way- narrowly missing a collision with her. The broom went into wide loops, insistently bucking around like a wild unicorn- flying at high speeds with Shauntel upside down. "SOMEONE GET ME OFF THIS THING!"

Right at that moment, she gotten that wish- the broom twisted making her right side up again, and with a particularly harder buck, sent the girl flying off it. Shauntel screamed, trying to catch onto any cloud as she fell, but each one wasn't dense enough and slipped between her fingers. The wind beating against her, the speed of her descent not letting of her tears be shed- forcing them back and into the air to be evaporated.

She would've kept falling if someone hadn't grabbed onto one of her legs, stopping her entirely. Shauntel looked down, or up in her case, to see her friend had managed to catch her, clear worry on his face. "Are you alright?!" Hearing that question and seeing his concern look, she swallowed the lump of fear lodged in her now dry throat and gave a shaky smile.

"Y-yea, I'll be better when I'm not upside down… or when I have my feet on the ground…" Rynarakeg nodded mutely, moving her body to have his arms hooked around hers before slowly descending the rest of the way- letting her feet hit the ground with a thud. He stayed by her side as Shauntel was unsteady, the world still spinning in her eyes, forcing her to lean onto him.

"You should sit out the next test—" He started but was immediately interrupted "what? No, I have to go through all the tests!" Rynarakeg gave her a flat look and took a step away from her, letting Shauntel stumble about to find her footing. Head still dizzy, she reflexively grabbed onto his arm as her feet took on a firmer stance. Letting out a relieved gasp when the world stopped spinning in doubles. "Not like riding on a cloud huh?" She bit back a remark but couldn't help but pout in dismay.

"I can take the other tests Ryn. Look, I'm fine now." She lets go of him and stood up straight, showing that she was capable of standing again without tripping over herself. Rynarakeg looked her over, still not convinced but he simply let it go for now. "Alright, but only do ones you know you're capable of." Shauntel simply gave a sunny smile and nodded in agreement. 

The next few hours went by quickly- the tests consisting of summoning, familiar care and obedience, alchemy and weapon summoning and battling- yet felt arduously slow for the students underneath the unrelenting sun. Shauntel was one of those students who shared this sentiment, sitting on the grass during break time and rummaging through her bag. She sighed to herself, the familiar on her lap crooning comfortingly and grew attentive when the girl took out a glass jar of squirming thick worms.

She smiled wryly, unscrewing the jar and pulling out one of the plumper worms, dangling it in front of the book moth. "You want it boy?" the familiar wriggled onto its legs, mewling in want just as Shauntel fed the squirming thing to him. Going through her bag again, she took out a wrapped sandwich and set it aside for later, her body slouching.

"Thoughts weighing you down?" Rynarakeg sat beside her with a school lunch, uncovering it to start digging in. Getting no response from his friend, he tried a different approach. "You should've stuck with doing what you know—" This got a disgruntled sigh as Shauntel covered her face with her hands.

"I know, I know. I just- I know _how_ to do these things but I can't actually _do_ them- and it's just- it's just so frustrating!" She threw her arms out in the air for emphasis. "I know for summoning that you can't use too much blood cause that will attract the wrong creature, and that you have to put in a real good amount of magic into the circle for it to actually _work_." She rattled off the details, counting them off with her fingers before moving her arms around to show the actions of performing the correct ritual.

Rynarakeg listened to her rant, slicing into his steak quite easily and giving her a neutral look. "I managed to do alchemy and familiar control really well, that's the bright side… but then it's all just memorization and timing… and Mothwell and I having a good relationship… but then how did I mess up the others!?" She fell back into the grass, the book moth crawling up to her chest after having his fill of worms and napping there. When she was apparently finished, he finally chimed in. "Have you done any of these exercises before?"

Shauntel opened her mouth, but then pursed her lips in thought before slowly shaking her head. "Well, there's your problem." He popped a piece into his mouth and chewed as his friend waited for him to elaborate. Rynarakeg just sighed. "You can't expect to do things perfectly on the first try, even with all that studying, your magic isn't finetuned enough to actually do what you want it to do."

Understanding dawned on her features and she gaped. "Ohhh! Like your first time trying to bake bread!" Rynarakeg grimaced at the early memory, the outside was too hard to cut open yet when they did manage to cut into it, the inside was under baked. "Well, yes, similar to that…" Shauntel only giggled, careful not to disturb the sleeping familiar on her. 

It was then that the professor approached them, eyes trained on the girl. "Ms. Meilleure, if I can speak with you privately." She blinked, a bit taken aback that he knew her last name but nodded her consent. Gently taking Mothwell off her and laying him on the grass so she can stand up and dust off her clothes.

When they were far from earshot, the professor waved his hand making a transparent blue screen appear. It sported Shauntel's name and the photo she used in her application for that school. She looked to be spacing off, eyes looking up to the ceiling and head titled, her smile small as if she was laughing from a silly thought. "Administration has managed to find your papers and processed them accordingly. You'll get your class schedule and other essentials later in the day."

Shauntel withheld from sighing in relief, happy that the filing issue was dealt with quickly. "If that's all you wanted to tell me…" Professor Aumbride gave her a look that told her he had more to say, keeping the girl rooted in her spot as he scrolled down her file. "I was looking through your files… and within this year, your scores were exactly high enough to let you pass."

She played with her fingers and offered a sheepish grin, "well, that's what studying gets me I guess…" laughing awkwardly until he scrolled to the grades she got in middle school, eyes bugging out then quickly looking anywhere but at the screen. "And I can assume these are the result of studying as well?" Shauntel bit her lip, gazing down at her shoes that seemed much more interesting now.

He stared at the student before him, eyes flitting to Rynarakeg playing with her familiar, his own poking out from the shadows, pawing at the book moth's bookmarker. He sighed. "I will be giving you workbooks to go over on your own after the school day is over, as well as several exercises. I expect you to do them at least once a day." Shauntel looked up from her shoes to him, taken aback, opening her mouth to ask a question but he cut her off.

"The next test will involve weapon summoning and battling. I assume this is a subject you don't know how to perform either." Shauntel just nodded solemnly and the professor adjusted his glasses, closing out the blue screen with a wave of his hand as he turned away from her. "Then you will watch and observe the other students at a safe distance." He began walking back to the cluster of students and the girl slouched, trudging back to her friend- and just flopped back onto the ground.

Rynarakeg raised a brow at this action, "I take it the talk didn't go all too well." A muffled sound of affirmation before the girl rolled to her side, beckoning her familiar into her arms. Shauntel pouted "I'm not allowed to do the next test." Clearing up the mess, he got his familiar- Nyaoath onto his shoulder. "Which is?" He crossed his arms, watching her sulk.

"Weapon summoning and fighting…" She was staring down at Mothwell as he cuddled up to her, mewling in satisfaction. "Shauntel, that's understandable. A bit of deductive reasoning will point that you wouldn't know how to put that form of study into practice either." She sighed and nodded in understanding, it didn't mean she liked it- but she is at least aware of the reasoning.

"Well… at least I get to watch you fight and look all cool too." Shauntel sat up, letting Mothwell go so he can flutter all around her. Rynarakeg scoffed at this, playfully offended. "Excuse me, but I look cool all the time." The girl snorted, covering her mouth as she laughed more, he chuckled along with her- their familiars content with observing their partners' jovial banter. 

During the last test, Shauntel stood several meters away from everyone else with her familiar roosting underneath her hat. She watched as the students were instructed to summon their weapons- all of which were able to. Once again, her eyes scanned the crowd until she finally found Rynarakeg.

His diamond earring glowed brightly as a shadowy orb came out of it, he grabbed it and morphed it into his liking with wide sweeping motions around his body- forming the rod and running his hand over the rest of the dark mass to create a sharp, curved blade. With another broad sweep, the dark magic formed a tangible weapon. An elegant scythe with its blade made of metal that would not be found in their current plane of existence.

Many of the other students' weapons were either perfect for battle- such as axes, lances, and swords- whilst others were more, odd and even questionable. Like large spoons, large wrenches, and even a lute. The professor then started pairing up students based on their prowess from test scores and what they've shown him throughout the day.

Rynarakeg got paired up with a rather cocky-looking student, wielding a large sword that was cocked on his shoulder. "Well dang, actually getting to fight against a Dhokshr on the first day? You're gonna be eating dirt when I'm done with you." Rynarakeg kept a cool front, getting into position, scythe ready and his stance wide. The other student wasn't at all pleased with getting the silent treatment.

"What? Are you too good to even talk to us non-nobles?" Still, Rynarakeg stared hard at the other, waiting for the other to make the first move. After failing once again to rile him up, the other student went into a sprint, raising his weapon high, hoping to rush him. Rynarakeg merely sidestepped the student, quickly blocking the swing to his head with the dull edge of his own blade. The sharp clang of metal against metal resounded.

The boy didn't waste any time, pushing back against the other's blade, easily overpowering him. The other student staggered and decided to move to the side, hoping to get him by surprise. But Rynarakeg swung his arm, letting the rod of his scythe hit the back of the student before kicking his legs- making the other almost flip on his way down to the ground, face planting spectacularly.

The student was about to get up but was immediately met with a blade very close to his face. He could see his dumbstruck reflection flicker between that expression and suppressed fear. He chanced a look up and saw Rynarakeg with a rather bored expression. "What was that part about eating dirt?" The student's face colored in anger, and he looked away in indignation.

Retracting the blade, he looked to the professor and gotten a nod, signaling he was done for the day. With that, his scythe devolved into the ball of dark magic, floating right back into his earring. All around him other students were still engaged in battle, mainly only using their weapons and what little combat skill they've accumulated up till this moment. A mixture of shouts was heard from the other side of the field causing the professor to rush over to check on the students there. 

Suddenly a burst of light shot right pass Rynarakeg, startling and causing him to look back to the source. A student with a lance in hand was panting heavily with another student close by- both of their eyes wide in fear of what just happened. More shouts and calls of warnings were heard as students dodged the beam, some being narrowly missed. He looked to where it was headed, and he started to panic.

Shauntel was closest to the trees, playing with her familiar, as the beam was heading straight for her. She wasn't paying any attention to the commotion beyond her; instead focusing all her attention on Mothwell and managing to catch him midair, laughing as she hugged the book moth close to her.

Rynarakeg was already moving but knew he wouldn't make it on time. "SHAUNTEL! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" The shout garnered her attention, but what she saw made her eyes widened. Her grip on the familiar tightened but she couldn't move beyond that as suddenly all she could see was white. Until there was nothing but darkness.

_Footsteps echoing in the darkness, labored breathing. Running in a seemingly endless void. Seeing just a glimmer of light, bolt towards it as fast as you can. The small light growing bigger and bigger the closer you grow towards it- until it encompasses your whole vision, and you still press on._

A sharp gasp. Bleary eyes opened, blinking rapidly as the light within the room made her hiss softly. Once her eyesight adjusted, she saw the white ceiling and a hanging incense exuding out a calming scent that can wash over anyone's body and relax them. She got up and groaned as the joints of her body cracked. Though it all turned into a pleasant sigh when the tension within her body was released. She noticed that her familiar was sleeping right beside her, curled into a small ball. "Shauntel?"

Looking to who called her name, she saw a pale skinned elf with small glasses propped on her slim nose and wearing a lab coat over a loose tribal dress. The woman gave her a kind smile, carrying a clipboard and a quill. "Wonderful, you're awake, Mr. Dhokshr over there was quite worried about you." Shauntel looked to the side and saw Rynarakeg was sitting slouched in the seat beside her bed, having seemingly fallen asleep watching over her.

She felt a small smile tug on her lips at the sight. The woman poured a generous glass of water before giving it to the girl, watching with slight amusement when Shauntel downed half of it with two gulps. "Are you feeling any better? Any lingering pains?"

The question threw Shauntel for a loop, pulling the glass away from her lips once she finished "Huh? I'm alright… But what do you mean by, 'lingering pains'?" Her eyes glanced over to the pitcher of water just behind the woman and the elf got the message and poured her another glass to which the girl thanked gratefully.

"You were hit by a stray beam, it knocked both you and your familiar out cold with several burn marks. Mr. Dhokshr brought you over right away. Then it was a simple healing spell and a few herbal remedies to get you and your familiar back on your feet."

Shauntel sat there, letting the words sink in as she tried to remember the events before ending up in the nurse's office. "Ok… I did remember seeing this bright light before everything went dark, then waking up here. How long have I been asleep?" She drank some of the water, craning her neck a bit to look out the window and did a spit take. The sun was already setting.

She coughed a bit to clear her throat of any more stray liquid- this woke up Rynarakeg, a lone eye cracking open before both opened wide and he was alert. Assessing his friend and seeing she was physically fine once her coughing fit had calmed, clearing her throat and exhaling shakily. "You're alright… by the goddesses, you're alright." Shauntel looked to him and gave a slight smile. "Heyyy…ow!" She covered her forehead and wore an indignant look after just being flicked. 

"_That's _for not moving out of the way." He glared but Shauntel didn't shrink back, instead sitting up straight and doing her best to glare- but honestly looked more like a pout. "How am I supposed to dodge something that's _seconds_ from colliding into me? Rynarakeg merely clicked his tongue. "Why weren't you at a safer distance? It was the _one_ thing you had to do."

Her hair puffed up in anger, not being able to think of any other rebuttal besides "I thought I was!" before turning away from him with a huff, crossing her arms and glaring at the wall. The only sound that broke through the short-lived silence was soft laughter from the elven woman. The two looked to her, albeit confusedly.

The woman regarded them both with the same kind eyes. "You two must be quite close to be able get into a disagreement after an incident." She pulled her mouth away from her mouth to reveal a small genuine smile. They looked to each other, Shauntel looked down bashfully, scratching her cheek and Rynarakeg sighed, conceding first.

"I admit I was a bit too hasty on my end. I've forgotten how short your legs are, making it hard to cover distance. My apologies." Shauntel nodded in agreement, smiling awkwardly. "Yea, it is kind of hard to get to places quickly- hey, wait!" Realization dawned on her and she whirled back to see a grinning Rynarakeg and she pouted more.

"Ah, that reminds me, meet me out on the field tomorrow after classes." Shauntel stopped her pseudo-glaring and cocked her head to the side in question. "Sure, but what for?" Her friend simply smiled and ruffled her hair "I'm going to be tutoring you!"

Her eyes widened and she got excited, jumping slightly on the bed at the prospect of getting better at magic with the help of her friend. "I'm in! Totally in! Oh my goddess, Ryn, you're the best!" Shauntel quite literally launched herself onto Rynarakeg for the second time that day, hugging him tightly. The impact rocked their chair he was in, making them both fall onto the ground, once again on the same day.

He groaned from his place underneath her, he would need to be more prepare whenever she did that. Rynarakeg sighed, looking down and was only able to see a puff of blue hair and hear giggling from it. He smiled a bit and gave her a loose hug in reciprocation. 

It was finally nighttime when all the students and faculty within the school were asleep. At the back of the academy was a large greenhouse and inside it was the most beautiful and vibrant plant life one could find within their continent. At the center of the greenhouse was a table and two chairs pulled out. A figure was setting the table, placing down a white table cloth and smoothing it out before moving on with the tableware then food.

Another figure emerges, carrying a vase filled with a colorful flower arrangement. Placing the vase down near the center amongst all the sweets, the two sat down and poured a hot cup of tea for one another. Conversing quietly with one another, laughing at little quips and their hands always finding themselves reaching out and intertwining with the other. The moon, hidden by clouds, sat lazily in the sky, ever so slightly moving amongst the vast starry sky above them.

"Are you excited for the new semester?

"But of course! There's already many new transfer students in our grade, and there's so many new underclassmen!"

The second voice practically swooned. "Ah, we're finally upperclassmen, that means we have to be good examples for those younger than us, O'Conniel!"

O'Conniel snorted, sipping their tea "that's easy to do. What about the idol program, Jacque?"

The clouds moved away, allowing moonlight to shine down on the figure known as Jacque- his warm brown eyes highlighted by green clovers and his youthful face framed by tousled brown hair with green ends. A beautiful green clover stone rested on his forehead, framed by a golden crown wrapping around his head. He smiled, looking up into the sky with his teacup in hand.

"We do what we do best O'Conniel- we make the humans believe."


End file.
